Dear Members of the Entering Law Class:
We look forward to your arrival at Oklahoma City University School of Law. We want you to arrive at the
School of Law with a wealth of helpful information. Thus, we are sending this critical information to you
now, and additional important information will be forthcoming in the days remaining before you begin
your journey into the legal profession. Please read this and future emails very carefully. Your
orientation to law school will continue when you arrive. Please know that attendance is mandatory at
all Orientation events and at each session of your Legal Analysis class:
Saturday, August 4
9:15-10:00 a.m.
10:00-3:30 p.m.
3:30-4:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 5
1:30-5:00 p.m.
5:00-5:45 p.m.
5:00-6:30 p.m.
Monday, August 6
5:15-6:00 p.m.
6:00-8:30 p.m.
Orientation Registration and Refreshments—Atrium—lower level of Sarkeys
Orientation—Homsey Family Moot Courtroom—Sarkeys
Ice Cream in the Sarkeys atrium—Join us for ice cream and an opportunity to
meet other members of your class.
(subject to slight time variations)
Orientation—Homsey Family Moot Courtroom—Sarkeys
Student Organization Fair-Sarkeys atrium
Meet and Eat--Food, fun, and an opportunity to continue getting to know each
other, as well as upper division mentors and student leaders --McDaniel
Student Center
Sandwiches and other refreshments in the Sarkeys atrium
“Pledge of Professional Commitment” and your first session of Legal Analysis—
Homsey Family Moot Courtroom—Sarkeys Law Center
(Please wear professional/courtroom attire)
Tuesday-Friday, August 6-10
Times vary
Introduction to Legal Analysis classes—Sarkeys Law Center
(check online for your section’s class times, under the Academics tab)
Saturday and Sunday, August 11-12
Plan to spend much of your weekend time preparing for your law classes. Preparation for law classes
will take longer than you think.
Monday, August 13
Friday, August 17
5:30-7:00 p.m.
Regular Classes Begin—Sarkeys Law Center
Dean's Reception—Oklahoma History Center (directions available at
Orientation) — We do encourage you to bring a guest, but please plan to
leave children with a babysitter during this event.
Orientation Session Just for Your ‘Significant Others’
Please note that on Sunday afternoon, August 5, Deborah R. Felice, Associate Dean for
Students, will offer a special, separate orientation session for interested family, spouses,
partners, and significant others about what they can expect while you are in law school.
This important meeting will be held from 4:00-4:45 p.m. in the Sarkeys Law Center-Room 104.
Please encourage your family members to attend and to stay afterward so that you can attend the
“Meet and Eat” event together.
Introduction to Legal Analysis—Materials
To complete the assignments for Legal Analysis, the use of a Westlaw password is required. Westlaw
passwords will be emailed to you by Monday, July 30, to give you ample time in which to prepare for
your first Legal Analysis class. The Legal Analysis materials you will need for the first class will be posted
on the TWEN site (accessed by using your Westlaw password). Watch for more information about this
soon. If you have any problems accessing your Westlaw account, please contact Jennifer Prilliman at
jsprilliman@okcu.edu, and 405.208.5174. She will be happy to assist you.
Classroom Expectations--Legal Analysis and Beyond
You are required to arrive on the first day of Legal Analysis, and on every day of classes, fully prepared
by having read and reviewed all assignments. You will have assignments before classes start, so set
aside plenty of time to prepare in advance of class.
NOTE: Due to the unique nature of law study, which principally uses the casebook method, the
preparation time to absorb, analyze, and recall the assigned material is much more than an incoming
student ordinarily anticipates. You will need to allow several hours of preparation time per class.
You will be allowed a certain number of absences from each of your classes (see syllabi). Those
absences are not ‘vacation days.’ You never know when, later in the semester, you may need to use
those absences for legitimate illness, death in the family, etc. Typically, there are grade penalties if you
amass absences in excess of the number allowed.
There are no syllabi posted yet. Posting will begin in early August. We will send you the link to the
location of the syllabi very soon. Then, you should begin regularly checking to ensure that you have
every assignment and syllabus available as you prepare for the first day of classes.
Lesson: Preparation and hard work are, many times, the principal reasons you will win certain cases
when you are a lawyer, even when it looks like the odds are against you.
Disability Accommodations
If you have a disability that you believe may qualify for accommodation under the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA), please review the documentation requirements and complete the application
form which can be found at http://law.okcu.edu/index.php/student-services/. A statement written by
you is also required. There is a specific deadline that must be met in order to receive in-class
accommodations and a different deadline that must be met to receive only exam accommodations.
Please apply by the in-class accommodation deadline if you will be requesting both in-class and exam
accommodations.
Some of you may have been diagnosed with an accommodatable disability but, thus far, you have not
sought accommodation. We urge you to seek accommodation in law school if you qualify for it. Too
often, out of pride, fear of stigma, or other personal reasons, law students find themselves in a difficult
position academically because they have not sought accommodation. Even if you have never sought
accommodation before, if you know your diagnosis warrants it, we strongly urge you to apply for
accommodation now.
Please submit your statement, along with your application for accommodation and your documentation
from an appropriate evaluator to Deborah R. Felice, Associate Dean for Students before the deadlines
described above. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact Dean Felice at
dfelice@okcu.edu, or at 405.208.5355.
Financial Aid
If (and only if) your student loans have been processed and approved, the first date for possible refund
of aid (in excess of your tuition and fees) is August 10. Make sure that you have executed the forms
necessary to allow direct deposit of excess funds to your checking or savings account. The Direct Deposit
Application is available online at: http://www.okcu.edu/financialaid/files/Direct%20Deposit.pdf or in the
Student Account Services Office.
If funds are not available to you on August 10, funds will be posted as quickly as possible thereafter
upon approval of your loans. You can go online and view your student account to verify when funds are
posted. Please contact Student Account Services at studentaccounts@okcu.edu or at 405.208.5146
(located in the Administration Building, Room 340) regarding questions about your account, and contact
the Financial Aid Office (located in the Administration Building, Room 349) with questions about your
financial aid at finaid@okcu.edu or at 405.208.5211.
Please remember that if your enrollment changes before or after you receive your refund, this could
affect the amount of your refund. Also, if you decrease the number of hours in your enrollment after a
refund has been issued and received, you could owe a portion of your refund back to the university.
Outstanding balances must be paid before a student will be allowed to enroll in a future semester. It is
important to check with the Financial Aid Office anytime you change your enrollment.
Lesson: Use financial aid resources wisely and sparingly. Borrowing too much now will only
negatively impact your lifestyle options later. Borrow ONLY what you absolutely need. Otherwise, as
a lawyer you may have to continue ‘living like a law student.’
Book Bucks
Since you may need money with which to purchase books BEFORE your refund arrives, the university
provides “Book Bucks.” If (and only if) your student loans have been processed and approved, you may
qualify to have up to $800 advanced to you for books. Applications are being accepted for the Book
Bucks program now with refunds beginning July 30. Go online to:
http://www.okcu.edu/services/book_bucks.asp for details.
Books
The university bookstore is located in the Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center. The bookstore is
owned and operated by OCU. Bookstore hours are:
Summer
Monday-Thursday
Friday
8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
8:00 a.m.- noon
Monday, July 30-Saturday, August 11, the hours are:
Monday-Thursday
8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Friday
8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Saturday
10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Monday August 13 and for the rest of the academic year, the hours are:
Monday-Thursday
8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Friday
8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Students can also prepay and pick up their books, or they can have their orders shipped. For details,
please visit our website at www.myocubookstore.com
Lesson: Don’t wait until the last minute to buy your books. Preparation for your classes WILL take
longer than you are anticipating, due to the unfamiliar nature of casebook study and the legal
terminology presented.
“Stars Cash”
Stars Cash is a very popular option for law students. Stars Cash provides law students with a convenient
way to pay for food on campus (all locations) and at many locations close to campus. Stars Cash can
also be used in the Campus Store. The amount you ‘purchase’ is simply added to your OCU Student ID
card. To purchase Stars Cash, please log onto the website: www.okcustarcard.com .
ID Cards
You are now welcome to go the Clara Jones Administration Building at 25th and Blackwelder Avenue and
have your Student ID issued in Room 340. You will need your ID for many reasons, including some
library privileges (and 24-hour access). Also, money can be loaded on your ID as described above. As a
student, you are required to carry your student ID with you at all times that you are on campus. Avoid
the lines and get your ID as quickly as possible.
Parking Permits
You are now also welcome to purchase your parking permit, also in the Clara Jones Administration
Building in Room 340 (same place as ID’s). Parking permits are valid until August 31, 2013, and cost
$100. You may have the cost of your permit added to your student account for payment.
Lesson: Even when you are a busy lawyer, time must be allotted for taking care of small, seemingly
less important details. Your professional life will run much smoother when all of the “little things”
have been taken care of ahead of time.
Wellness/Fitness
The Freede Wellness Center houses basketball courts and an upstairs indoor track. Open gym time for
students is allowed daily, unless there is an event scheduled. Enter through the west doors and be
prepared to show your student ID.
In addition, the Aduddell Fitness Center is a 4,800 square foot state-of-the-art facility that is available for
your use as a student at no charge once you have a valid OCU Student ID. One guest per student is
allowed. In this facility are weight machines, free weights, treadmills, stair-steppers, and ellipticals. For
hours, policies, and other information go to:
http://www2.okcu.edu/students/intramural/weight_room.asp
Lesson: Start disciplining yourself NOW to include time each week for recreation/relaxation in your
busy schedule. Your schedule will only get busier once you become an attorney. You have to learn to
take care of yourself to maintain your health (and sanity, for that matter). Work/Life Balance is a
value that is encouraged at Oklahoma City University School of Law and essential when you become
an attorney.
OCU Health Insurance and the Student Health Center
After you arrive, you will receive emailed information about these important services. If you have
specific questions in the interim, please call 405.208.5090.
State Bar Admission—Character and Fitness
If you have numerous and/or severe criminal offenses and/or other serious character-related issues
that lead you to believe that you may have difficulty getting licensed to practice law, Oklahoma City
University School of Law and the American Bar Association strongly encourage you to contact the bar
admission authorities now in the state(s) in which you may wish to practice law. This is so that you can
acquaint yourself ahead of time with the character and fitness requirements for licensure. Information
concerning bar admission requirements for all 50 states is available through the website of the National
Conference of Bar Examiners at http://www.ncbex.org/.
You are encouraged to seek out character and fitness requirements for bar licensure now, if you
believe that your record reflects numerous and/or severe offenses and/or character issues. Please
set up an appointment with Dean Felice during the first two weeks of law school to discuss whether
contacting bar authorities for guidance about bar admission is recommended (call 405.208.5355).
Keep watching your email, ok? Another one will be on the way in about a week.
Looking forward to seeing you soon,
Deborah R. Felice
Associate Dean for Students
Oklahoma City University School of Law
2501 North Blackwelder Avenue
Oklahoma City, OK 73106
cell: 405.822.3324 (day/evening/weekend)
office: 405.208.5355
private fax: 405.208.5420